I have to say though, I love the "environmentally sound" spiel in the press release. No, they're not building it out of carbon composite because it's stronger and lighter than other materials, or because Scaled has been using the stuff for decades, no, it's because of the environment! And those engines, just look at how fuel-efficient they are! I wonder if they'd still used them (or if P&W had ever developed them) if they'd been more expensive to operate, rather than less. And of course, bonus points for making the hybrid rocket motor sound like a Prius.

The reality is of course that the couple of flights SS2 will be flying aren't going to have any kind of noticeable impact on the environment anyway, and that regular suborbital space flight is hard enough if you don't think about the environment at all. I doubt it would have been very high on their engineering agenda. But marketing is the art of putting untruths and half-truths into people's minds without ever actually lying, and this is a very nicely done example.

_________________Say, can you feel the thunder in the air? Just like the moment ’fore it hits – then it’s everywhereWhat is this spell we’re under, do you care? The might to rise above it is now within your sphereMachinae Supremacy – Sid Icarus

It was nice to see it before the rollout, and wander around and under the mothership.

I'm sure we'll see the captive carry and other tests while we're out doing our own work.

Here's a scoop I haven't mentioned to anyone else: Scaled's nitrous trailer, which was sitting neglected in a parking lot for the last two years, is now in a different lot, hooked up to a truck, and has power to it. They may be preparing to do some static engine testing here at Mojave. The engine is the bit that's the most behind schedule.

I talked to the chief engineer of the airplane for a while at another rocket company's christmas party, he's an interesting but quiet guy. He's flown WK2 a few times.